HWL announces payment changes

Wednesday

Jul 26, 2017 at 4:00 PM

In a press release issued this week, Hope Water & Light said it will be disabling its outsourcing payment method this weekend, on Sunday, July 30 in order to prepare for a major change in payment options. HWL contracted with NISC (National Information Solution Cooperative) in June 2016.

Rick Kennedy

In a press release issued this week, Hope Water & Light said it will be disabling its outsourcing payment method this weekend, on Sunday, July 30 in order to prepare for a major change in payment options. HWL contracted with NISC (National Information Solution Cooperative) in June 2016.HWL representatives, most notably Charlotte Bradley, have been talking up the changes at Hope civic organizations in recent weeks. On July 20, Bradley along with HWL General Manager Steve Saum, spoke to the Rotary Club, while Bradley and Jodi Perkins teamed up at the Hope Kiwanis on July 11. At the Rotary, Saum also spoke of Advanced Metering Infrastructure, but metering changes were not part of the press release issued Monday.The changes now taking form are a culmination of statements Saum announced at the March 22 Hope City Board meeting, which Saum appeared after HWL had been the subject of intense media attention and criticism earlier in the spring.At the time, Saum gave a Powerpoint presentation, which included short introductions of the upcoming changes now happening.In a prepared statement, Bradley said, “This has been almost a two-year process, but we feel it is worth it. Beginning September 5, 2017 customers will be able to log into their utility account and pay their bill online via, credit card, debit card or electronic check with no service fee. You will be able to view your account as well as request changes to your account.”“The program is called SmartHub. Pay it your way with SmartHub convenient payment option. With Smarthub you will be notified when your bill is due and you can pay with a few clicks through stored payment information via your smart app or the web,” she said.The press release distributed by Bradley to area media outlets says that HWL customers can save time and avoid late fees or service interruptions by using Smarthhub, which includes a sign up for automatic payments. HWL customers can set up preferred payment methods and take care of HWL bills quickly and conveniently for no additional fees.“As part of this enhancement, HWL will also make telephone calls to the numbers listed on your account in the event you forgot to pay your utility bill,” Bradley said in the statement.In the statement, Bradley said that HWL customers will receive a reminder two days before service is scheduled for disconnection.“We realize that everyone lives are very busy, so this feature will allow us to notify you, if we have a current telephone number on file prior to services being disconnected. We are working to improve our procedures as well as give you more options with your utility account,” she said.Bradley encouraged all HWL customers to contact the HWL Customer Service Department to make sure their information is up to date.Customers with questions can call HWL at 870-777-3000.